Shloka 64
Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
उभाभ्यामथ हस्ताभ्यां संस्पृश्य प्रणतं मुनिम् / स्मृत्वा परात्परं विष्णुं तत्रैवान्तरधीयत
ubhābhyāmatha hastābhyāṃ saṃspṛśya praṇataṃ munim / smṛtvā parātparaṃ viṣṇuṃ tatraivāntaradhīyata
Dann berührte er mit beiden Händen den in Verehrung niedergebeugten Weisen; und indem er Viṣṇu gedachte—des Höchsten jenseits alles Höchsten—verschwand er sogleich an eben diesem Ort.
Narrator (Purāṇic Sūta/Compiler voice describing the event)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By calling Viṣṇu “parātpara” (beyond the beyond), the verse points to an ultimate reality that transcends all relative ranks of divinity and existence—suggesting the Supreme as the highest principle behind all manifestations.
The key practice implied is smṛti (sacred recollection): remembering the Supreme at the decisive moment. In Kurma Purana’s spiritual idiom, such remembrance functions like dhāraṇā/dhyāna—steadying consciousness on Īśvara, which is central to Purāṇic Yoga and aligns with Pāśupata-inflected devotion.
Although this verse names Viṣṇu explicitly as the transcendent “parātpara,” Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis treats the Supreme as one reality approached through multiple divine forms; here, the emphasis is on transcendence rather than sectarian separation.